In the Wild

Baby Monkeys Who Lost Their Moms Take Comfort In Each Other

These two baby monkeys each lost everything - but thanks to their newfound friendship, they're learning to heal together.

Piak, a spectacled langur, was just a few weeks old when a poacher came into his jungle home and killed his mother for meat. The poacher said he didn't notice she had a baby clinging to her until after he shot her.

Now, both monkeys live at WFFT's Thai sanctuary, where they're two of the youngest resident animals and require constant care to make up for their missing mothers. But the sanctuary still makes sure they have time to be youngsters together - and they're quickly becoming best friends.

"During the day they have time to play together, even though they are different species," WFFT wrote in a Facebook post. "The positive play interactions provide valuable lessons for these highly social primate youngsters."

Photos show the pair tumbling about and eating together, and even venturing up into the branches of the trees. "[They've] become firm friends," WFFT said.

Sadly, Piak and Makood's rough beginnings aren't unusual. Each year thousands of monkeys and other animals in the region are killed by poachers and hunters. The surviving babies are usually sold into the pet trade, and few of them ever make it out.